This is a very simple recipe for masa, to make tamales. Feel free to use this recipe as it is and fill your tamales with something as simple as cheese and a spoonful of salsa. Or get creative and come up with something more daring like the chocolate tamales. (When I make chocolate tamales I add chocolate ganache, coco powder and brown sugar to this basic masa recipe.)

For a slightly sweet masa, add a little bit of sugar. If you add corn kernels to your slightly sweet masa it makes a great tamale also. You can fill this masa, or when your tamales are ready to be served you can serve it with something like a tomatillo sauce (pg. 148 Isabel’s Cantina) spooned over the tamales.

BASIC TAMALE MASA
1 ½-cups masa harina
1/2-cup vegetable shortening (or other fat such as olive oil, corn oil, butter etc.).
1-teaspoon baking powder
1/2-teaspoon kosher salt
Approx. 2 cups water

Place masa harina, shortening, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand up mixer. With paddle going slowly, drizzle water while mixer is going. Mix until combined. Masa should have a very soft “play-doh” type consistency. More or less water can be added to achieve desired masa consistency.

Coming Soon: Step by step tamale filling photos.

For Love and Food,

Isabel Cruz

A sincere “thank you” to all of you who attended either of the tamale classes. I really had a great time meeting everyone. What I had in mind to do when we started talking about this is to have some fun “foodie” events (unique to just a cooking class) some of them interactive (like the tamale class), some sit down meals with wine tastings or cocktails, and even some author foodie events (like the one coming up June 26 with Adam Schell- click here for info).

I also want to thank you for being in the first of our classes. I know there are improvements we can make, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have quite few things in mind myself (wearing a microphone for one).

If anybody that attended either of the classes would like to stop by the restaurant on one of our tamale making days (for some more hands on time) email me and we can arrange something!

For Love and Food,

Isabel

P.S. We had another outstanding turn out for our second tamale class. Click here to see the photos of all the food and fun!